Locking device for loose-leaf books



May 30, 1933- c. R. STEVENS 1,911,404

LOCKING DEVICE FOR LOOSE LEAF BOOKS Filed Nov. 3, 1932 ATTORNEYS,

Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE y CARLTON R. STEVENS, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE WATERBURY BRASSVGOODS CORPORATION, GF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT LOCKING DEVICE FOR LOOSE-LEAF BOOKS Application filed November 3, 1932.

This invention relates to new andV useful improvements in binders such as are used for securing together the perforated leaves of files, books and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a binder of improved construction including a post and a securing button shiftable longitudinally ot the post to remove it or adjust its position on the post and which button includes a part turnable relative to the post whereby to secure the post and button together against casual relative movement.

An additional object is to provide a tile, book or the like including a pair of members and an improved binder for securing said men'ibers together, the binder including a post and a button or buttons for securing either or both of said members to the post.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connec-V tion with the accompanying drawing where in satisfactory embodiments of the invention are shown. However7 it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is an elevational view showing a tile or a loose-leaf book including binders constructed according` to the present invenfV tion;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation and takenV substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig.' 1 and on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3 the file or book cover or back member being omitted;

Fig. 5 is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 4, the button shell element being omitted;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view on an en larged scale showing a 4slightly modified conf` struction; and

Serial No. 640,994.

Fig. 7 is a detailed elevational view showing a slightly modified arrangement.

Referring in detail to the drawing and at first particularly to Figs. 1 through 5, at 10 and 11 are shown upper and lower bar members which maybe used alone or to which may be lattached upper and lower cover members or backs 12 andlB, and are composed of stifener members 8 and 9 cov ered with suitable flexible material as cloth, which also acts as a means to connect the cover members with theV bar members lby flexible connecting portions 14. As the description proceeds it will become evident that the binder of the present invention is adapted for use in the formation of looseleaf covered books or in connection with files or the like involving one or more cover members or backs.

` The bars l0 and l1 are connected by posts 15 each oi which may be in the-form of a length of rod or of a lengthof tubing and at its lower end each post is received by a button 16 connected with the bar 11, and

upwardly of their lower ends the posts are received in buttons '17 carried byv the bar 1() and of the same structure as the button 16. Vhile these buttons are of identical construction they have in Figs. l and 2 been given Vseparate numbers for the purpose of clarity in the latter part o this descriptionl wherein the operation of thefbindersV in the connections shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will be4 fully set forth.4

VAs is more clearly shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, each button includes an open ended tubuv` lar rivet 18 having one of its ends turned against ay bar as at 19, and whichV rivet is of a length to extend through the bar and aboutv its` upper end portion receive a disc v20 clamped against the upper side of the bar by turning over the end of the rivet as at 21. The arrangement is such that the rivetr18, disc 20 and bar are all secured together against relative turning movement. v

- The disc opening receiving the rivetis formed eccentric in the disc 20 and mounted on the disc and having bearing against its outer edge is a shell or cover member 22 Y edge of the disc as clearly shown in Fig. 3. For the purpose of attaching this shell to the disc a ring 24 may be soldered or otherwise secured to the lower skirt portion of the flange 23 and this ring may, at its inner side, bear against the under surface of the disc 20. Shell 22 has an eccentric opening 25 therethrough and through which the post 1,5, extends.

In Fig. 5 the opening in the disc 20 is indicated at 26 and a careful inspection of this figure clearly shows that such opening is eccentric with respect to the disc. The center line of the disc is indicated at 27 and the center line for the opening and for the rod 15 is designated 28. It will therefore be seen that both the rod and the disc opening are eccentric with respect to the disc. Fig. t shows the shell 22 in place over the disc and from this ligure it is evident that the opening of the shell is eccentric with respect to rthe shell. rlhe center of this opening is indicated by the line 29 while the kcenter of the shell itself and the center of the rod 15 is indicated at 30.

` Sincethe disc 2O has an eccentric opening and the shell 22 also has an eccentric opening and has bearing on the edge or"- the disc it will be appreciated that the shell may be turned on the disc whereby to bring the openings into registry. lVhen the disc and shell vopenings are aligned the rod may have one of'its ends passed through the shell and into the rivet 13 either by manipulation of the rod or manipulation of the button. lvl-len this is accomplished, the shell may be given a slight turning movement relative to the rodand the disc 20 with the result that thelopening 25 of the shell will be carried out of yregistry with the opening through the disc Vand rivet and the button will bind on theV post.

This will be accomplished since one side of the shell opening 25 will bind against the post as at 31 and the post will be forced against the opposite side of the yrivet as at 32. It ,will therefore, be apparent that the vbutton maybe located vat substantially any point along the length of the post and then wedged or boundto ythe post by a slight turning movement of the shell of the but-Y ton. To release the button from the post it is but necessary to give the shell a slight turn in the opposite direction. It desired, the outer surface of the flange 23 of the shell may be grooved or indented or otherwise roughened as at 33 to provide a grip.

, ln Figs. l and 2 a pair of the buttons are secured to each of the upper and lower bars l0 and 1l, the buttons being arranged in spaced relation and being secured to the bar-shy turning over the ends of the rivets as a@ 1.9.. With this accomplished the lower end of each of a pair of posts 15 arefintro- Clllfl into the lower buttons 16 extending substantially through them as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Next, the shells of the lower buttons are given a partial turn whereby to bind the posts in the buttons as has been eX- plained above.

Paper sheets or other material 34 may then be passed over the posts and the upper bar l0 applied. 0f course, when this bar 10 is applied the openings through the discs and shells of its buttons are in alignment and he buttons are passed over theupper portions or" the posts and moved longitudinally along the posts to the desired positions thereon. lThis will usually be with the papers or other material 34 clamped against one another. When this is accomplished the shells of the upper buttons are each given a partial turn whereby the buttons will bind against the posts and the upper bar will be secured `in its adjusted position.

lVith the construction described above it will be understood that there is no action tending to torce the posts either from or to.- ward one another and that each button individually grips or clamps its post and independently of the other post. When each of the upper and lower bars is provided with a button or with any desired number of but.- tons short post l5 may be used if there are but a relatively few sheets ot paper to be bound. Thereafter, as the book or lile becomes enlarged owing to the addition of new sheets the short posts originally used may be easily removed and longer posts substituted for them, a suitable supply of posts preferably being kept on hand. ln this con` nection it is to be noted that the posts have no particular construction of their own being simply lengths of rod or tubing.

f viously described the only difference residing in the fact that in Fig. 6 the lower portion of the Hangs 23 of the shell is turned inwardlyagainst the lower surface of the disc 20, as at 35. This portion 35 lserves to secure the shell on the disc for rotary movement with respect to the disc and therefiore taires the place of the ring 24 of the gures first described. In use, the means oi Fig. 6 functions in the manner already described in connection with the buttons of the nother iiguresfand has all theattendant advantages. l v t Referring now to F ig. 7, at 36 and 37 are shown the upper and lower bar members ot a. book, file or the like and these members are connected as by a post 38 shown as in the form of a length of tubing. One end of the post 381 is passed through one of the bars as for example the bar 37, and is then turned or riveted over as at 39 whereby the post is more or less permanently secured to the bar. Thsother bar, that is the bar 36, carries a button 16 constructed as above described through which is passed the free end portion of the post 38 and the shell of this button is adapted to be rotated whereby the button grips or binds against the post to secure the bar in the desired position along the post.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the upper bar 10 or 36 may be easilyremoved from or applied to the posts and that it may be easily and quickly secured in the desired adjusted position onY the post. Further, particularly with respect 'to Figs. l and 2, it will be understood that should the posts l5 prove of insufficient length as or of such length to be inconvenient they may be easily removed and other longer or shorter posts substituted in their place.

I-Iaving thus set forth the nature of my invention, What I claim is:

l. In a binder, a post, disc having an eccentric opening receiving the post, a shell rotatably mounted by and having hearing against the outer edge of the disc, said shell having an eccentric opening through which the post extends, said shell adapted to be rotated on said disc to carry the opening of the shell into registry with the opening in the disc whereby the post may be moved freely through said openings, and said shell adapted to be rotated on the disc to carry the opening of the shell out of registry. with the opening` in the disc to have one side of the opening in the shell bind against the post.

2. In a binder, a post, a button shiftable longitudinally of the post to remove it from and adjust it along the post, said button including a hollow rivet to secure the but ton to a bar member and through which the post passes, a disc about the rivet and having an eccentric opening through which the rivet passes, said disc stationary on said rivet, a shell rotatably mounted by and havino' bearinol against the outer ed'e of said b C C D disc, saidshell having an eccentric opening through which said post extends, said shell adapted to be rotated on said disc to carry the opening of the shell into registry with opening in the disc Vwhereby the post may be moved freely through said openings, and said shell adapted to be rotated on the disc to carry the opening of the shell out of registry with the opening in the disc to have one side of the opening in the shell bind against the post.

3. In combination, a pair of bar members, a button secured to each of said members, each of said buttons including a disc having an eccentric opening therethrough, a hollow rivet Vextending through said opening and securing the disc to its respective me1nber, a shell rotatablymounted by and having bearing against the outer edge of said disc, said shell having an eccentric opening therethrough and adapted on rotation of the shell to be brought into and out of registry with the openings in the disc and rivet, a post extending through the shell and disc of each of said buttons, and the shells of said buttons adapted to be rotated on said discs relative to the post to bindingly engage the post and secure the back members and posts together.

4.' In combination, a pair of bar members, a post secured to one of said members and extending beyond one side thereof, a button secured to the other of said members, said button including a disc having an eccentric opening therethrough, a hollow rivet eX- tending through said opening and the other of said members and securing the disc to the member, a shell rotatably mounted by y said disc and having bearing against lts outer edge, said shell having an eccentric opening to be brought into registry with the rivet and disc openings whereby the button may be passed over the post, and said shell being rotatable on the disc to bindingly engage the post and secure the said other of the back members in the desired adjusted position on the post. l n

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

CARLTON R. STEVENS. 

